Leonard Cohen poem on Kanye West: he's 'not Picasso. I am Picasso'

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with rapper Kanye West, who went on a lengthy rant to reporters about why he supports Trump despite the criticism of others in the music industry and on the left in general.

Leonard Cohen aimed his proverbial pen at Kanye West as he crafted a collection of poems in the final months of his life.

In the recently published book The Flame, which also includes lyrics and illustrations by the late Canadian literary and music star, is a piece titled “Kanye West is Not Picasso.”

Coverage of Kanye West on Globalnews.ca:

Dated March 15, 2015, the poem is a cheeky point-counterpoint narrative surrounding the boastful nature of the hip-hop star, who once declared onstage: “I am Picasso.”

The poem had social media abuzz on Thursday as West visited the White House.

“Kanye West is not Picasso. I am Picasso,” starts Cohen’s poem.

“Kanye West is not Edison. I am Edison. I am Tesla.”

The poem contains a couple of expletives, and also mentions rapper Jay-Z.

“Jay-Z is not the Dylan of anything. I am the Dylan of anything,” says the poem. “I am the Kanye West of Kanye West. The Kanye West.”

Poems in “The Flame” are said to have been selected and ordered by Cohen himself.